I don't believe there's anything wrong with the idea. But it's just an idea, it's not a theory, nor is it anything you can test just yet. I have a similar idea, but it's not anything I can ever be certain of or claim as true, much less anything worth writing a book about. That would be called a religion, and as an agnostic, I automatically avoid doing such things anyway.

The idea doesn't make him crazy, what does is his confidence in an idea that is not a theory and cannot be tested. That's magical thinking.

Somewhat related: Newton's Flaming Laser Sword

I thought that was the point.

This kills the self-driving car. Seriously. A sapient horse could learn the city like a London cabbie, and at your command, take you where ever you want to go.

Is growing a non-human sapient any different from building a perfect artificially intelligent robot?

Should we be okay with those possibilities, or should we artificially limit ourselves from making such things to begin with?

I left my TV on one day and burglars came and stole it. It being a real TV, it also had sound, but it's plainly no deterrent. A muted fake television wouldn't work any better.

Later I would mount a cheap motion sensing alarm, and that seemed to work for one of the next break-ins.... but the real solution was moving.